There is probably no better vertical that needs mobile marketing than the restaurant industry. That’s why our Restaurants To Go solution neatly packages all of the major elements of a successful restaurant mobile marketing campaign into one easy to use suite of services.

Apparently, its no different in the UK where restaurants have also realized the power of mobile when it comes to marketing.

Your Mobile Phone or Sunshine?

The London Science Museum asked 3,000 British adults to rank a list of their most appreciated items. The results were astonishing. Only four things were more important to Londoners than Facebook in terms of appreciation — sunshine, the internet, clean water, and their refridgerator. In fact, Londoners found their mobile phone to be the 10th most appreciated thing in their lives, just below a flushing toilet!

You would think that Londoners wouldn’t have much trouble giving up the sunshine. After all, every time I’ve been there it was raining anyway.

Philadelphia – For the second straight year, Advanced Telecom Services will be a principal sponsor of the World Telemedia international exhibition in Malta, June 9 – 11, 2010.

World Telemedia is the premiere interactive media event in Europe. It brings together many of the leading interactive marketing providers not only from Europe, but from the rest of the world as well. It is the only such event focusing on premium rate services and all aspects of interactive telephone.

Advanced Telecom Services will be promoting its Canadian and American premium rate services and mobile marketing offerings at this year’s show. Since the event last year, Advanced Telecom Services has seen significant growth spurred by successful European content providers that have expanded services to the United States and Canada. Television programs such as Call TV and esoteric services have been a big part of the growth. In addition, chat programs promoted primarily on the internet have also found success in North America.

“In many cases, it’s as simple as adding a USA and a Canadian 900 number to an existing internet-based offering,” said Bob Bentz, president of Advanced Telecom Services. “If a program is successful in a European country, there’s no reason that it can’t expect similar success in the USA and Canada. I’ve always believed that consumers all over the world are very much the same.”

Bentz has seen growth in the American market in the past year as the industry has been able to stabilize chargebacks and offer a broader width of content. Less competition n the market and cheaper advertising rates caused by the recession has increased ROI for many of its information providers.

But, the most exciting market for ATS, and its content providers, in the past year has been Canada.“Canada is the strongest premium rate market in the world today,” said Bentz, who backs up that bold comment on having been directly involved in over a dozen premium rate markets in his 21-year career in audiotext. “If you operate a successful telemedia program and you haven’t brought it to Canada, you are clearly leaving money on the table.”

The Canadian telemedia market is burgeoning thanks to the recent deregulation of the Canadian market. “In any country, when the government removes itself from business, it almost always good for the industry as a whole,” added Bentz.

Behind all strong country markets are a plethora of approved billing mechanisms. Of Advanced Telecom Services’ offerings, 900 numbers in Canada have shown the greatest growth thanks to the deregulation. In fact, Advanced Telecom Services reports that its chargebacks on 900 numbers in Canada have decreased by 68% since deregulation thanks to improved customer care. Customer support calls are now being taken by third parties and the customer support function has been taken away from the staid provincial carriers who were anxious to simply offer a refund rather than fight to hold charges for services that, in most cases, were successfully and properly rendered.

Moreover, the newly introduced “pound code” (voice short codes) has opened up the cellular market to premium rate calls. Historically, in North America, cell phones have not been able to call 900 numbers, but now the pound codes offers companies a chance to provide what essentially is essentially a convenient variation of a 900 number for the cell phone.

“There is no better place in the world to find the movers and shakers in our industry than at World Telemedia,” said Bentz. “This show just isn’t about an excuse to go party with old friends. There’s real business getting done there.”

And, the parties aren’t bad in Malta either.

Advanced Telecom Services provides 900 number and 800 number IVR solutions and mobile marketing services to media, advertising agencies, and entrepreneurs. It also provides a variety of dating services, including internet dating and text message dating. The Philadelphia-based company has international offices in Toronto, London, Dublin, Prague, and Bratislava.

Designers are able to customize a pair of Adidas iD2 goggles to be worn by a British athlete competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The public will vote via premium SMS text message in the UK and the USA for the winning goggles. Text message voting will identify the top 10 finalists. The finalists will each receive several pairs of the iD2 Adidas ski goggles to implement the actual design onto the goggles and then return the sample to Adidas.

Adidas will choose the ultimate winner from the ten finalists. The winning design will be implemented on the ski goggles worn by a 2010 Winter Olympian from the British ski team.

Advanced Telecom Services is proud to be associated with an internationally recognized brand like Adidas. It is also an honor to be associated with the British ski team and the Vancouver Olympics.